


A World without Truth or Ideals

by BaristaKitty



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-20
Updated: 2014-01-30
Packaged: 2018-01-09 10:05:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1144689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaristaKitty/pseuds/BaristaKitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an AU where N succeeded in separating people and Pokemon, our protagonists live their lives as normal high school students with no memories of their Pokemon companions or their former lives as trainers. Now the only person with memories of the creatures known as "Pokemon", N decides that he must find a way to undo the world's transformation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm usually really bad with chaptered fics, but I'm going to try to keep up with this one?  
> 

_"What I desire is a world for Pokémon, and Pokémon alone. I will separate Pokémon from people, so Pokémon can regain their original power."_

_“Why did the dragon choose you? I trained even harder than you did; I had to work for my power, and it still wasn’t enough…you’re always one step ahead of me.”_

The mighty white Pokemon stood before Touko, white feathers gliding through the air as it let out a mighty roar, its wings cutting through the air. Suddenly, everything was colliding together, all of the events that had led up to this moment—this final battle between her and N, with her as the Hero of Truth and N as the Hero of Ideals.

_"Wow! Pokémon are amaaaaazing!! So little, but so strong! I'm so glad that I get to have a Pokémon! ...Oh. Um, sorry about your room, Touko."_

_"Thank you! I saw what was missing in me."_

She couldn’t think clearly, not with Blair’s words echoing through her head. N had fuller control of Zekrom than she did of Reshiram, and she could already feel that it was going to be detrimental to her odds of victory. Her commands were shaky and her knees weak as she tried to guide her dragon to victory, both of the majestic creatures hurling blasts of energy from their mouths and clawing at one another.

_“Why did the dragon choose you? I trained even harder than you did; I had to work for my power, and it still wasn’t enough…you’re always one step ahead of me.”_

The spite, the malice in his voice—they’d always been friendly rivals, and he was just being a sore loser, right? Why did they have to argue before she entered Dragonspiral Tower?! Of all times!

“It looks as if ideals will be the victor, Touko! No matter how much you love your Pokemon, you are enslaving them. Just like every other trainer!” N gloated from Zekrom’s shoulder.

Pokemon! That’s right, Pokemon. Her Pokemon, her beloved partners, were her reason for fighting N! She had to make sure that they wouldn’t be separated. Not only was this battle for her own teammates, but for the Pokemon and trainers throughout the world. She felt her breath hitch at realizing the severity of this pressure. “No, we can do this…” She told herself under her breath, giving Reshiram a pat on the head. “We can do this.”

The two dragons continued their battle viciously, with both trainers following their instincts with an equal amount of sincerity in their hearts for what they truly believed was right. For moment, it felt as if Reshiram had gained the upper hand, until a final Fushion Bolt sent Touko hurling off of the mighty beast and plummeting towards the Earth.

She’d half expected the dragon to pick itself back up as it was already falling, to suddenly swoop over and take her on its back to pick up the battle. Because it wasn’t over yet. But it was.

Everything was over now. She had failed. N was going to separate the Pokemon and humanity forever. She’d never see her friends again, and it was her fault. Because she’d allowed herself to win over Blair so many times, because she felt as if she had something to prove to the world. No, the dragon shouldn’t have chosen her.

“Prince…Renny…I’m so sorry…” She left tears in the air above her as she continued to fall, waiting to hit the ground.

_\---------x_

It had been a tough night for Bianca, considering that her dad had once again come home reeking of alcohol and the cheap perfume of hookers.   
Touko had allowed her friend to spend the remainder of the night at her house, despite the fact that her bed really wasn’t big enough for two people. But this was Bianca, so she had no qualms about how uncomfortable she’d slept. She had the feeling that she’d had a bad dream again, though the cruel screeching of her alarm clock had jolted the memories of it right out of her.

“We should skip school today,” she proposed, nodding to herself as Bianca hadn’t stirred, and instead remained with her arms wrapped around a pillow, a thin line of drool wetting it.  
Touko made a mental note to just flip that pillow over if she wanted to use it later.   
Just as she’d laid back down to get a few more hours of rest, there came a banging at the front door. “What?” She mumbled, looking rather irate as she emerged from her room to see who dare disturb her slumber.

It was none other than Blair, who stood grinning from ear to ear, already dressed and ready for the day. “Morning, Touko!”  
If it was Blair who was interrupted her sleep, that was fine, too, because her dear childhood friends meant more to her than anyone else. She couldn’t be angry at him for anything. He was the most kind hearted individual she’d ever known, after all, and seeing him made her day a little brighter. It was so easy for the day to day life of a high school student to grow dull quickly.

“Morning, Blair.” She yawned, then attempted to pat down her mess of brown of curls.

“You aren’t ready yet?” He tilted his head. “I’d think you’d more excited! Today’s the big day!”

“Big—oh, yeah!” The girl instantly lit up, motioning for Blair to come inside, and she began packing her bag with some flyers that she’d printed out the night before. Today was the first day of the Theater Club, which had been Touko’s grand idea of the academic year. Although it had been her idea, no way would today have been possible without Blair. He’d designed the flyers, gotten permission to use the auditorium, and even had his sweet mother bake some cookies for the first meeting.   
It wasn’t as if he had any interest in other clubs, anyway. The small Nuvema High didn’t have much to offer as it was.

“I reckon you forgot?” He prodded playfully, taking a seat on the arm of the living room loveseat.

“No, I just had some kind of weird dream that I can’t remember, and Bianca had to come over again.”

Blair’s smile faltered. “Oh…”

“Yeah…but, it’s cool, she’s sleeping and it isn’t like she’s failing her classes or anything. I’m just going to let her rest. She’s at home here and everything.”

The entire school year had been so boring up until this point, but now was their chance to actually have some fun. Touko loved the stage—both the front of it and the back—and Blair simply enjoyed spending time with Touko. It was a win-win for the both of them, and this project had at least given them something to work on for the past month. To produce some kind of play, or to at least have the joy of recreating a classic such as  _Macbeth_  or  _Medea_ , would give them something more to look forward to.

“Y’know, Blair, I can feel it! Today’s going to be great! Theater club is going to be a total success this time!”

\--------x

Their day continued as normal after Touko had actually gotten ready, sliding on her plaid uniform and tying her hair up into a ponytail. They met up with Cheren in the lunchroom prior to the first bell, who reluctantly provided yesterday’s trigonometry answers.   
“You need to learn how to actually do this.”  
That’s what he always said.  
“We do appreciate it,” was Blair’s usual response, and Touko emitted an aggravated noise as she scribbled down numbers and letters that she didn’t even know the meaning of.

They’d manage to hang up more flyers in place of any that had been taken down last week, since today was  _the_  day. By lunch, Bianca had showed up (she didn’t want to miss too much) and the four friends took their spot in the lunchroom.  
It was the same as every day.  
Blair had gotten a burger from the lunch bar, Bianca and Touko snacked around on chips and fries, and Cheren was eating a salad with Thousand Island dressing.

“If I weren’t in Chess club, I’d join you.”

“Yeah, same here, but the Environment Watchers need me.”

Touko waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Nah, it’s fine guys, I understand.”

After lunch came the last two blocks of the day. Blair’s science class had a guest today, a kind looking woman with medium length brown hair and glasses, who spoke of research that her and her husband had done in Kanto. Something about volcanos and highly top secret work being done there?  
Blair found himself not paying too much attention and nearly dozing off. Waking up so early in anticipation to the fact that Touko would wake up late had taken its toll on him.  
But then the woman mentioned that she’d brought a cake, and it would be rude to turn down a guest’s food.   
It was the best cake he’d ever had, aside from his own mother’s baking.

Finally the last bell rang, resonating the sound of freedom throughout the bricked walls of the high school, and Touko darted to the auditorium in the center of the school.

She took her post sitting on the stage, excitedly swinging her feet as she waited for the members to begin showing up. Blair arrived shortly after and took his seat next to her with the tray of cookies, unwrapping the plastic wrap from them.

“So what play do you want to do first?” Touko said eagerly, taking a cookie for herself and chewing on it in thought.

“I hadn’t put too much thought in it. I reckon whatever the members wanna do?”

“I was thinking, what if we made a musical version of a Greek masterpiece? Like  _Oedipus_? Featuring the hit singles, ‘I am a literal motherfucker’ and, ‘listen to blind people’ or something. Make a comedy out of it!”

Blair shook his head and laughed. “That wouldn’t ever go over with the school board, y’know.”

“We could do it outside of the school.”

“Well, it really isn’t like we’re going to be funded by the school or anything. We just meet here.”

“Yeah, it isn’t like we’re a sports team and they actually care about us.”

“Maybe we could do fundraisers?”

“You mean, like car washes?”

“Yeah!”

“Some perverted men out there would love to see young girls and boys in swimsuits, I’m sure.”

The longer they discussed all of the possibilities of car washes, bake sales, and viral marketing, the less likely a reality this extravagant and well-populated drama club seemed to be. Two girls had wandered in, under the mistaken impression that the auditorium was to be used to hold a cheerleader meeting. Another boy had entered, taking a seat in the corner and stating that he always used the area to do homework in peace and quiet.

Touko sat with her arms around her knees now. “Someone’ll show up.”

Blair sighed, hands in his pockets, slightly shaking his head. “I don’t think so, Touko. No one did last year, either. It’s a shame.”

“You did…”

“Well, yeah, ‘cause I’m the vice president, remember?” He gave her a wholehearted smile. The students here in the little town of Nuvema just weren’t ready for a theater club, as their attention lied elsewhere. “Cheer up, we still have all of these delicious cookies that my mom made! It’d be even more of a shame to let ‘em go to waste!”

Touko couldn’t help but smile back, because dammit, even in the worst of situations, Blair’s smiling was contagious. “Yeah.” She stood up, hopping off the stage. “The people in this school suck, anyway!”

With that, she put another baked treat in her mouth and took a confident bite.  “Fuck ‘em!”

She put both hands on her hips, finishing the last remnants of the pastry, but just as she’d reach for another one, the door creaked.  
Both stopped in their tracks, eyes instantly glued to the entrance. A tall figure stepped through. “This is the theater room, correct?” A calm voice spoke, glancing around with curious green eyes.

“Y-Yeah!” Both Blair and Touko chimed in perfect unison.

The boy looked older than them by a few years—was he a senior?—and he had long green hair tied back. He also wore a black and white cap, which was against dress code but if this guy was in fact a senior, screw the rules, anyway. Perhaps the strangest feature of this individual was the fact that he wore something that resembled a rubix cube around his neck. He moved his hand to his green locks to flip them back. He wore the most personable smile of anyone in the school that they’d had the pleasure of encountering. Was he even from Nuvema?

The door completely shut behind him with a final, inaudible clicking of the lock.

“My name is N, and I’ve come to join your theater club.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we witness N's own adjustments to this new world and his revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for everyone supporting me in this endeavor! Feedback is always appreciated, here or on my Tumble, guillotineghosties (which I am more active on)

He’d made a mistake, and he knew it. But everyone makes mistakes, right?

Just because he’d never especially identified as any normal human did not mean that he was immune to making them. N had only been acting with the best of intentions, because he loved Pokemon so much for the affection and care that they’d given to him that he’d never found in humans.  
His heart hurt to awake in the new world he’d created with his own hands--a world without Pokemon. Ghestis’ plans had fallen through completely. This wasn’t just a new world, but an entirely new universe in which N had found the green haired patriarch sipping some coffee and reading a newspaper in the dining room.  
Pokemon had never existed, and his father only asked him if he’d been taking his medication when N brought the subject up.  
“Look, son, I’m sorry that the kids at school are giving you so much trouble. But you have to remember to take the pills, alright?”  
N was, according to the prescription bottles that sat on this nightstand, suffering from some forms of ADHD and extremely autistic. He was estranged from his peers, mocked on a daily basis for being “that weirdass”, and was forced to take piano lessons every Saturday. Ghestis owned Plasma Corp, an organization in which bought, sold, and traded off blood plasma, and his wealth had given him and his son the luxury of living in a manor on the outskirts of Castelia City. Anthea and Concordia were just maids that worked part time cleaning the kitchen and cooking now, and regarded him with indifference; to them, he was just the brat whose father they received a paycheck from.  
No, this wasn’t right, he thought to himself. He’d soon wake up from this, and he’d be recovering from his battle alongside Zekrom. Touko must have emerged the victor, and he’d been knocked out cold and thrown into this awful nightmare to reveal to him the mistake he’d almost made.  
 _I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t go through with it. Please, let this nightmare come to an end…_

But he didn’t wake up. Days passed, then weeks, and then a month, and N found himself not able to escape this hell. It was the same thing every day—waking up, getting ready for school, going to school, coming home, browsing the internet, taking a walk in the nearby woods, and then going to bed to begin the cycle anew. He ignored the harsh words of his classmates, who found his reclusion and awkward demeanor to be a source of amusement. What were they to him, anyway? Three of them had been gym leaders who once held a love for the culinary arts, but now found entertainment in throwing paper airplanes and planning video game sessions after class. Another individual held a vague familiarity, as well. He could have formerly been a Plasma grunt, or a trainer that he’d battled.  
He began to wonder if this was real, this dull life that he’d been thrown into.  
What had happened to Touko, then? And Blair? And their friends? Were they here, too, stuck in the same conundrums, missing their beloved Pokemon with all of their hearts?  
How N yearned for Zorua to be at his side again, perched on his shoulder and nuzzling his ear. He missed his companion, and every Pokemon that he’d had the honor of partnering up with.

He pondered on whether or not this suffering was necessary, though. Were the Pokemon happy in their own world? Was Zorua happy? N found himself lost in these thoughts on the way home from school one day, after he’d stopped keeping track of how long he’d been here, and stumbled upon his answer. From an alleyway came a barking sound, as if some creature were being beat.  
It turns out, the poor thing was in fact suffering from some kicks courtesy of two young ruffian boys.  
“Lookit squirm!”  
“Haha! It’ll make a cool hat!”  
The subject in question was a small fox, light grey in color with a tuft on its head and ears lined with fuzzy, soft fur. Its body was shaking, curled up on the ground in a defensive position with its fluffy tail tucked under its legs.

N immediately took action. He dashed at the elementary school children, effectively scaring them away. “Hey! Stop that this instant!”  
Exchanging “oh shit!”s, the two made beelines around N in opposite directions to escape the crime scene. N had half a mind to pursue them and hold them responsible for their actions, but the fox had more need for his attention. He scooped the tiny animal into his arms, its body trembling, lined with scrapes, cuts, and bruises from the elements and its previous oppressors.  
“It’s alright,” N whispered, patting its head gingerly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”  
At least he had never lost that aura of kindness, and the creatures of this world found him trustworthy. That was a small blessing in a land of such cruelty—the original world, the Pokemon world, had its share of hardship, but Pokemon had made it so much more bearable. People and Pokemon had forged their lives together.  
This was in fact a mistake. Such a mistake. A mistake that N knew he could never fix.

As he bandaged up the small grey fox on his bed that night, warm tears streamed down N’s cheeks as he felt the regret sink in his stomach like an anchor. This was real. He wasn’t dreaming. This was the world that he’d created, and what his life was now was his own foolish doing. _What have I done?_

The fox made a disgruntled noise and nudged his hand, prompting him to pet its head some more.  
“I’m sorry. You remind me of him so much, that’s all. Zorua, that is.”  
“Yip!”  
“Of course, you don’t know what I’m saying. I ruined everything…”  
“Yip!”  
It nipped at his index finger, then made its way onto his lap. “Yip!”  
The small creature held such a determination and gave N a stern look and another bark.  
“Zorua…”  
The fox made a quick, graceful leap to his shoulder and bit down on his ear, growling.  
“But how?” He didn’t understand it, how Zorua could have come to this world in a different form, but he was really here! Had other Pokemon made their way here, as well? “I’m so grateful to see you, Zorua!” He was overwhelmed with emotion, embracing the creature as softly as he could. “I thought—I’m so sorry…I’m so sorry, I was a fool.” His breath hitched and his shoulders quivered as he let himself weep with joy at their reunion. The fox licked away his tears, letting out a whimper.

Though the language was not the same, N understood perfectly well what this incarnation of his partner was telling him.   
This world was not okay, and there _had_ to be a way to fix it. But how?

x~x~x

For two weeks, N deliberated on what his next course of action should be. The sense of helplessness that he’d felt for the duration of his life here thus far had vanished thanks to Zorua finding him, but he was still left in a state of confusion. This world had been created by the power of a legendary dragon Pokemon, but without their existence here, how could this awful place be undone?

But no matter how much he thought about it, no matter how many hours he spent drawing out mathematical possibilities, he could find no viable solution. He wasn’t even sure where to begin.

“I’m stumped, my friend.”  
“Yipp…”

That was, until he came across a set of familiar faces at the county fair in Nimbasa City. He’d been taken to the celebration courtesy of Ghestis, who was running an RV set to take blood donations. He was there to provide refreshments to donors and assure that anyone who fainted received rest, so he could only watch as the crowds of people enjoyed themselves, feasting on corndogs and riding the famous Ferris wheel.

He sighed as he handed off another can of lemon lime soda to a donor. It wasn’t as if he had anyone to ride with, so he would have been randomly paired with someone. He already had his share of awkward pairings in group projects at school. He sat back to pet his furry companion, when two individuals caught his eye.

Missing their signature hats, Blair and Touko were standing by a booth hosting a Lucky Duck game. Touko pumped her fist in the air, presenting some money to the vendor and then taking her pick of the rubber ducks floating in the fountain. Blaire was finding something funny, as he wore an honest grin on his face as he took a pick of the ducks since it appeared that they were sharing the game. The two high fived, having apparently won, and collected their prize in the form of a set of pink and blue mouse pushes.   
They seemed perfectly adapted to this world.   
N stood from his seat, and was ready to approach them to see if he held any familiarity to them, but no sooner had he made the motion to go towards them did Bianca and Cheren make their appearance. Bianca was holding a giant, pink anteater stuffed toy and seemed ecstatic, with Cheren steadying her every time she nearly fell over.

“Hey, N! Come help me carry this poor girl out onto the bed; she passed out.” Ghestis called from the station, diverting his son’s attention just long enough for the group to disappear into the sea of fair-goers.   
But they were here, and just like the rest of the world, it appeared that they’d forgotten.

X~x~x

It took only three days for N to locate them. A private investigator named Looker had located the duo in the very town N had suspected—Nuvema Town. Their native home hadn’t changed. He had no other ideas at this point, and if anyone could help him figure this out, it would be Touko and Blair.  
But first he would have to make them remember in order to gain not only their partnership, but their faith in his sanity. And to do that, he needed to befriend them. To acquaint himself with who they’d become in this world and how not having Pokemon in their lives had affected him.

Gaining the okay from his father (who didn’t object to anyone, as he was too busy running a business), N moved to Nuvema under the guardianship of Anthea and Concordia, who were more than happy to have a salary to blow without the old man watching them. He enrolled in the local high school and observed the duo with their friends from the corner of the lunch room, from behind the lockers, and from the curtains of the theater room where Touko loved to spend time quoting dramatic lines from her favorite shows.

And then she and Blair had discussed a theater club on day.

This would be the perfect opportunity to introduce himself to them without coming across as someone who was suddenly much too interested in them. This would be painfully awkward for him, but he remembered their Pokemon, too. Prince the Snivy and Watson the Oshawott, who had grown with their trainers back home through thick and then, and most likely were mourning for them.

When the day arrived, N wiped the palm of his hand on his pants leg as he stood outside of the auditorium. He took in a nice, long breathe, and presented himself to the two trainers—no, the two students—who seemed so pleasantly dumbfounded at the prospect of anyone actually accompanying them.

“My name is N, and I’ve come to join your theater club.”

To his surprise, the two met him halfway down the aisle between seating, smiling enthusiastically as each took one of his hands to shake it.

“It’s nice to meet you, N!” Touko squealed. “Oh, I just knew someone would join us!”

Blair laughed. “Yeah, nice to meet you! Come have some cookies—my mom made them, and they’re the best in Nuvema!”

They led him to the stage, talking excitedly to him as they offered him the baked treats. N felt a wave of easiness wash over him. He should have known! This was Blair and Touko, after all. They’d never been ones to judge him, and the circumstances made no difference.

He smiled to himself as he tasted the soft, chewy cookie and conversed with the two. Suddenly, this didn’t seem so impossible.

_I can do this. I can set the world right again._

 


End file.
